Ryan Garcia to fight Jorge Linares on July 4 says De La Hoya

By Boxing News - 05/01/2020 - Comments

By Sean Jones: Ryan Garcia will be taking a BIG step up in class in facing Jorge Linares on July 4th holiday, according to Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya. This fight will hinge on the governor and major.

This will be a big test for the 21-year-old Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) in taking on the former three-division world champion Linares (47-5, 29 KOs).

Although Ryan will probably be seen as a big favorite over the 34-year-old Linares, you can’t rule out an upset. That might be the prime reason why Ryan’s dad Henry Garcia has sounded so opposed to the idea of Linares being his net opponent.

Linares a real threat to Ryan Garcia

After watching the way that Linares crushed Carlos Morales last February, you have to giveĀ  50-50 or a better shot at beating Garcia. Henry wasn’t born yesterday, and he knows what kind of threat Linares is to Ryan.

That might be why Henry is so down on Linares as the dance partner for Ryan in July. Linares is not only a step up from Ryan’s last opponent Francisco Fonseca, but he’s also a tremendous step up.

Ryan Garcia vs. Jorge Linares on July 4

“My plan is to come back big with Ryan Garcia on July 4, which is a huge holiday for America,” said De La Hoya to Yahoo Sports News. “My idea is to give the fans and the world a treat with Ryan Garcia in a great fight with Jorge Linares.

“It’ll be a great fight, but it all depends on our major, our governor, because obviously, as you know, safety is first,” said De La Hoya.

This is the fight that De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions have been talking about for Ryan for some time. Although Ryan has been calling out WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis a lot recently, the Linares is the guy that Golden Boy wants for him next.

If Ryan beats Linares, then De La Hoya will be looking to match him against possibly Luke Campbell or Javier Fortuna. The problem with that is the World Boxing Council has ordered Campbell vs. Fortuna for a WBC title eliminator. The winner of the fight will take on WBC 135-pound champion Devin Haney.

“A lot of people think I’m crazy, but I want to retire when I’m 26,” said Kingry Garcia to On The Air with Ryan Seacrest. “I just want to fight the best fighters now, and beat them in their prime and leave the sport.

Image: Ryan Garcia to fight Jorge Linares on July 4 says De La Hoya

Fighting behind closed doors no big deal

“I fed off the emotions of the crowd, and it gave me energy,” said De La Hoya. “The way I see it is as a sparring session. When Ryan Garcia gets in the ring, he gives it his all, whether it’s sparring or fighting.

“I don’t see it being a difference or a factor of having people or no people in the arena. I think professionals like Ryan, like Canelo, like Jaime Munguia, like Vergil Ortiz and the fighters we have in our stable, are not going to be affected.

“It all depends on the individual. It all depends on the fighters, and their state of mind is going into that ring. When you go into the ring, it’s tunnel vision. You’re there to knock them out, and hopefully, it won’t affect them,” said De La Hoya.

The Commission and government will need to decide whether crowds can attend Garcia’s fight against Linares. This isn’t a big enough battle to kick it down the road for when the pandemic ends, and fans are permitted to attend fights again. Ryan can’t afford to wait another two more years potentially before the plague finally evaporates into history.

It might not be a big deal of fighting without fans, but it will be a big deal in terms of lost revenue. Without the fans present, Ryan won’t have a huge cheering section for him against Linares, and that could hurt his chances of winning the contest.

Ryan is one of those types of fighters who fights better when he has a massive crowd cheering him on. If Ryan faces Linares without live fans, he’s going to need to motivate himself, and he may not be able to do that.

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